The Day The Music Died
by Redonkgirl99
Summary: Tessa's life. Companion piece to But I am of the Universe.


**_A long, long time ago  
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile  
And I knew if I had my chance  
That I could make those people dance  
And maybe they'd be happy for a while_**

Four year old Theresa Stark smiled up at her Father, who picked her up and plopped her on his lap so she could look at the machine he was working on.

"What are ya making?" She asked excitedly.

"I'm thinking about a better version of Dum-E," Tony said, smiling at her.

"To be his friend?" Theresa asked.

"Of course," Tony replied.

"I hope I can make somethin' like Dum-E when I'm older," Theresa bubbled.

"Yeah? Why?"

"I wanna be like you when I'm older," Theresa said, smiling in her young naivety.

 ** _But February made me shiver  
With every paper I'd deliver  
Bad news on the doorstep  
I couldn't take one more step _**

Theresa flinched and curled up even more as she heard her parents screaming and yelling at each other. She rubbed her eyes with her chubby five year old hands as she heard the door to her parent's room slam shut and the yelling stop. Suddenly she heard steps coming towards the closet she was in. The door opened and she peeked between her fingers to see Miss Potts standing there.

Miss Potts had only been Tony's PA for three months and Theresa had the feeling she was one of the reasons her parents were fighting. Theresa hadn't really spoken to Miss Potts but she'd seen her around and thought that Miss Potts was amazing, which might be why her mother hated her; getting her daughter's admiration while Theresa just gave her standoff attention.

"Where's your nanny, Sweetheart?" Miss Potts asked gently.

"She had the day off," Theresa said, her voice wavering.

"Do you want to come out of the closet?" Miss Potts asked, Theresa shaking her head vigorously "Well, alright then." Then, the business woman, Miss Virginia Potts, kicked some of the shoes out of her way and sat across from Theresa in a small closet.

"Do you always come in here when they fight?" Miss Potts asked.

"Sometimes me and Nanny go out, when she's here, Miss Potts," Theresa said, making Miss Potts laugh.

"You can call me Pepper." Pepper giggled along with Theresa.

"Why's your name Pepper?" She asked.

"My real name is Virginia, but growing up my family called me Pepper because of my hair and freckles," Pepper explained to the little girl, who was completely engrossed in the story and almost missed the sound of her parents yelling begin again. Pepper noticed the girl stiffen and curl up again.

"Hey, how about you and I go have a sleepover," Pepper offered, smiling as the girl frowned at her.

"How?"

"We can go to your room, watch a movie, and eat ice cream." After a moment the little girl nodded and let Pepper lead her up to her room.

 ** _I can't remember if I cried  
When I read about his widowed bride  
But something touched me deep inside  
The  
Day  
the  
Music  
Died _**

Theresa yawned as she awoke, entering the kitchen, where Pepper was sitting and drinking coffee.

 ** _So_**

"Miss Potts, there's something you might want to see." JARVIS turned the TV on and the screen was a news story about Tony having a wild night of debauchery. As Theresa watched she felt sick to her stomach.

 ** _Bye_**

How could her father act this way? Her parents got divorced a _week_ ago and he was drinking and around other women. He could lose custody of her if he did this.

 ** _Bye_**

And that's when Theresa realized something.

 ** _Miss American Pie_**

She didn't want to be _anything_ like her father.

 ** _Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry  
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye  
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die  
This'll be the day that I die"_**

It took a while, but finally Theresa got everything right; her clothes were nice but modest, her friends were normal and not crazy partyers, and she calmed herself down.

Sometimes, Theresa felt like she was going to explode, but she knew it would be for the best.

 ** _Oh, and there we were all in one place  
A generation lost in space  
With no time left to start again  
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick  
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick  
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend_**

Theresa frowned as she heard Tony yelling at someone.

"Happy, what's wrong?" The ten year old asked.

"Nothing's _wrong_ ," He replied "Just, wait in your room, okay?"

Theresa frowned, going into her room and shutting the door, trying to hear what was going on before she heard it.

A baby's cry.

 ** _Oh, and as I watched him on the stage  
My hands were clenched in fists of rage  
No angel born in Hell  
Could break that Satan's spell_**

"Theresa, this is Maria; your little sister," Pepper said, handing the baby to Theresa.

"Half-sister," Tony corrected, gaining a look from Pepper "She _is_."

"Tony-."

"I'm sorry if I'm a little bit touchy about her and her…" Tony waved his hand at Maria, indicating her wrist.

Theresa frowned at the small baby in her arms.

 ** _And as the flames climbed high into the night  
To light the sacrificial rite  
I saw Satan laughing with delight  
The  
Day  
The  
Music  
Died._**

An eleven year old Theresa frowned at the almost one year old _Maria_ ; how come she got to be named after their grandmother?

Their nanny had left for a few moments, instructing Theresa to keep an eye on her baby sister

"I don't like you," Theresa informed her, Maria just giggled.

 ** _I started singin'_**

"Tessa."

 ** _Bye_**

"What'd you say?" Theresa demanded.

 ** _Bye_**

"Tessa," Maria repeated, giggling.

 ** _Miss American Pie_**

"DAD!"

 ** _Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry  
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye  
Singin' this'll be the day that I die  
This'll be the day that I die_**

Both Pepper and Tony ran into the room, looking worried.

"What?" Pepper asked, running her eyes over the two, taking note of how Theresa beamed.

"Tessa," Maria repeated.

 ** _Now for ten years we've been on our own  
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone  
But that's not how it used to be  
When the jester sang for the king and queen  
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean  
And a voice that came from you and me_**

Theresa flopped down on her bed, feeling like an idiot.

The boy she'd had a crush on…

He was _just_ like her dad.

Well, not as smart, of course, but he had that attitude.

God, she was a _moron._

She'd find someone good, she decided; someone _normal_.

 ** _Oh, and while the king was looking down  
The jester stole his thorny crown  
The courtroom was adjourned  
No verdict was returned_**

"Miss Theresa, wake up!"

Theresa jumped awake at JARVIS's voice.

"What is it?" She asked, feeling fear at JARVIS's tone.

"Something is wrong with Miss Maria; I've contacted Master Tony and Miss Potts, but they've left the building."

Theresa sped down the hallway to Maria's room, where the four year old was nowhere to be seen.

"Under the bed, Miss Theresa," JARVIS said, Theresa dropping to her stomach and looking over at where her sister was shuddering.

"Hey, what's wrong? Have a nightmare?"

Maria shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Theresa asked, her voice choking up slightly.

"Scared."

Later, when they would learn what had happened, Theresa would pray for one of the few times in her life.

She would pray _very_ hard for the two people that'd marked her sister's wrist

 ** _And while Lenin read a book on Marx  
The quartet practiced in the park  
And we sang dirges in the dark  
The  
Day  
The  
Music  
Died_**

A seventeen year old Theresa sighed as she meandered around a Stark fundraiser, before she had Pepper grab her arm and turn her towards someone.

 ** _We were singing_**

"John Anderson, wonderful to meet you."

 ** _Bye_**

"Theresa Stark, nice to meet you too."

 ** _Bye_**

"Would you like to dance?"

 ** _Miss American Pie_**

"Sure."

 ** _Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry  
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye  
Singin' this'll be the day that I die  
This'll be the day that I die_**

Pepper smirked after Theresa left the dance floor.

"What?" Theresa asked.

"He's rather good looking, isn't he?"

 _He's not my type._

"Very."

 ** _Helter skelter in a summer swelter  
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter  
Eight miles high and falling fast  
It landed foul on the grass  
The players tried for a forward pass  
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast_**

Theresa felt her hands shaking slightly as she ran them through Maria's hair.

How _dare_ they say that about her little sister?

It had stemmed from coverage on her engagement; they had talked about how _nice_ she was and how Maria could learn a thing or two before she…

Theresa had to pause as the anger threatened to overflow.

Maria could learn a thing or two before she became a _whore_.

 ** _Now the halftime air was sweet perfume  
While the sergeants played a marching tune  
We all got up to dance  
Oh, but we never got the chance_**

"You look so pretty."

Theresa smiled down at her little sister.

"I bet it won't be long before I'm saying the same about you when you wear _your_ wedding dress," Theresa smiled, the designer smiling as well as she left the room.

"I'm not gonna get married."

Theresa frowned over at her sister.

"Why not?"

"There's two of them."

"So?"

"So, I'm not marrying one without the other," Maria said, sounding strangely stubborn about it.

Theresa didn't say anything, instead, she completely disregarded the fact she was in an extremely expensive wedding dress, kneeled down, and hugged her sister tightly.

 ** _'Cause the players tried to take the field  
The marching band refused to yield  
Do you recall what was revealed  
The  
Day  
The  
Music  
Died?_**

"Man, screw off," Tessa said.

"C'mon, baby," The purple guy said, getting _far_ too handsy.

 ** _We started singing_**

"Hey, leave her alone," Peter said, shoving the guy.

What followed was a clusterfuck of violence

 ** _Bye_**

Tessa and Peter both landed on their asses outside of the bar; Tessa holding the spot on her head where someone had hit her with a pool cue.

 ** _Bye_**

"Did we just become best friends?" Peter asked.

 ** _Miss American Pie_**

"Yep!"

 ** _Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry  
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye  
And singin' this'll be the day that I die  
This'll be the day that I die_**

"Well, come on then," Peter said, scooping Tessa up and throwing his arm over her shoulder "Let's go find somewhere _else_ to get drunk."

"Somewhere where I _don't_ get molested?" Tessa offered, laughing slightly as she and Peter made their way out, both slightly tipsy and unsure on their feet.

"Preferably!"

 ** _Did you write the book of love  
And do you have faith in God above  
If the Bible tells you so?  
Now do you believe in rock and roll?  
Can music save your mortal soul?  
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?_**

Tessa giggled as Peter started doing some ridiculous dance move; once he finished he made a gesture for Tessa to join him.

"Oh, Peter, I haven't danced in years," Tessa protested.

"Why not?" Peter asked incredulously.

"I never had a reason to."

"That's the saddest thing I have ever heard," Peter said, grabbing Tessa's hands and hauling her to her feet "Slow or fast?"

"Nice try Mr. Suave; fast." Peter rolled his eyes and leaned over to turn on Come and Get Your Love. As they began to dance, Peter laughed in astonishment.

"You're a great dancer!"

"I have an awesome partner," Tessa countered.

 ** _Well, I know that you're in love with him  
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym  
You both kicked off your shoes  
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues_**

"Why're you still up?"

Rocket looked over at Tessa, who was standing in the doorway of the cockpit.

"Fixin' the navigation."

"It's pretty late," Tessa pointed out.

"Ain't tired."

Tessa frowned but entered the cockpit; sitting down in the seat across from the one where Rocket was working. Rocket sent her a sideways look as he worked; the Terran girl curled up while sleepily watching him work.

"Go to bed, Blondie."

"I'm fine," Tessa replied.

Rocket continued to work; it was quiet between the two for a few minutes.

"I would use thinner wires if I were you."

"But, you ain't me."

"Thank god."

Rocket sent Tessa a dirty look, the Terran woman smirking.

"Told ya I wouldn't be any easier on ya."

Rocket rolled his eyes while Tessa chuckled.

"You done yet?" Tessa asked after a moment.

"Yeah, almost," Rocket said, finishing off "Night, Blondie."

As Rocket went to leave, Tessa stopped him.

"C'mere, Raccoon."

 ** _I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck  
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck  
But I knew I was out of luck  
The  
Day  
The  
Music  
Died_**

"GOOD MORNING!"

Rocket jumped awake and glared at Peter, who was wearing a shit eating grin.

"I will eviscerate you," Tessa mumbled, not moving an inch from her sleeping position on the captain's chair. Which Rocket should consider him lucky for; if she'd jumped like he did, he would have been thrown off of his spot where he had been curled up on her stomach.

 ** _He was singing_**

"So, do I need to give Rocket the shovel talk?"

 ** _Bye_**

"Only if I get to give it to Gamora."

 ** _Bye_**

"Touché."

 ** _Miss American Pie_**

"You wanna go now?" Tessa asked.

"I need to make sure that we're on course," Peter replied, faux innocently.

"I've got it, Jackass," Rocket hissed, slipping down off of Tessa, who curled up slightly.

"Alright, I get it, I'll leave you to your romancing," Peter said, giggling as he walked away.

 ** _Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry  
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye  
And singin' this'll be the day that I die  
This'll be the day that I die_**

"He ain't letin' this go, is he?" Rocket asked, messing around with the controls.

"Probably not," Tessa said, yawning.

"Asshole," Rocket muttered, before looking over at Tessa, who was smiling at him "What?"

Tessa didn't say anything, just held her arms out for him. Rocket muttered something about her being ridiculous, before climbing back up on the chair and curling up against her.

"Ah, I'm sorry for doubting you, Quill; it appears you told the truth," Gamora said.

Tessa sighed loudly, looking over at the three standing in the doorway, Drax nodding slowly.

"Congratulations for your romantic relationship. I have confidence that you two are capable of overcoming your anatomy differences and can copulate."

Peter's laughter was a bit hysterical.

 ** _I met a girl who sang the blues  
And I asked her for some happy news  
But she just smiled and turned away  
I went down to the sacred store  
Where I'd heard the music years before  
But the man there said the music wouldn't play_**

"Hey, Gamora, you want to-." Tessa cut off as she entered Gamora's room, seeing the green woman pushing tears away "Hey, you okay?"

"Yes, it's nothing."

"Well, you _are_ a hardened assassin crying; it's probably something," Tessa replied "You wanna talk about it?"

Gamora studied Tessa for a moment.

"Nebula."

"Oh," Tessa said.

"She was remorseless and prepared to kill me," Gamora said, sitting with her elbows on her knees and looking down.

"But, she's still your sister. And you still care about her," Tessa said, Gamora looking up in surprise, nodding slightly as Tessa sat down beside her "I have a sister too. I mean, she's no killer, but I can get stuff like this."

"… She would rather die than help me… Than do the right thing."

"That's just sibling rivalry taken to an _extreme_ ," Tessa said "Once; my sister was jealous that I got to go to Stark Fundraisers, so she poured all of my nail polish out onto my bed… What I'm trying to say is that just because she acts like she hates you, doesn't mean she does. And, even if she _does_ that doesn't mean she will forever."

"And if she does hate me forever."

"Well, I am your sister now. Expect me to bug you 24/7."

Gamora smiled slightly.

"You already do that."

Tessa faked offence.

"I don't know _what_ you are talking about."

 ** _And in the streets, the children screamed  
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed  
But not a word was spoken  
The church bells all were broken_**

It'd been one of the rare fights between Tessa and Peter and it had culminated in Tessa stomping into the kitchen and slamming the door behind her.

As she took a heavy breath, she caught sight of Groot slowly blinking awake in his pot; sending her a groggy look.

"Sorry, Groot."

Groot sent her a questioning look and Tessa sighed.

"Peter and I got into an argument is all; go back to sleep."

Instead of doing as she said, Groot gestured to sit down at the table his pot was currently on. Tessa took a seat and Groot smiled at her.

"It's inevitable that Peter and I will fight; been together for so long and all."

Of course, Groot couldn't answer her, but he could reach out and solemnly place his hand on her nose. Tessa smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I love you too, Big Guy."

 ** _And the three men I admire most  
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost  
They caught the last train for the coast  
The  
Day  
The  
Music  
Died_**

"If I'd known you'd be sticking around for so long, I wouldn't've let you on board."

 ** _And they were singing_**

"You love me and you know it."

 ** _Bye_**

"I don't know; eight years is a long time to be stuck with someone."

 ** _Bye_**

"Even your best friend?"

 ** _Miss American Pie._**

Peter laughed.

"Nah, not too long for my best friend," Peter said, leaning so the two could clink their glasses together "To the next eight."

"God forbid," Tessa teased, Peter snorting as they both drank.

 ** _Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry  
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye  
Singin' this'll be the day that I die  
This'll be the day that I die_**

They both looked out at the vast darkness of space, comfortable as they both took it in together.

"Do you miss it?"

"Earth?" Tessa asked, Peter nodding "Some of it…"

"Not enough to wanna leave though?"

"This is my home, Peter; it always will be."

Peter smiled at Tessa before they both turned back to look out at space.

Where, millions of miles away, someone was looking right back.

 ** _They were singing_**

"What're you doing out here?"

 ** _Bye_**

"Thinking."

 ** _Bye_**

"The Twins are looking for you."

 ** _Miss American Pie_**

"You alright?" Jade asked, noticing how Maria brushed a tear away.

Maria considered her answer for a moment, continuing to stare up at the stars

"I don't know."

Jade went and stood beside Maria, copying her pose and looking up at the stars.

"Eight years, huh," Jade said.

"To the date."

Jade looked over at her.

"It still hurts, doesn't it?"

Maria looked over at Jade and smiled slightly.

"It always will… But, it's not like it was before."

Maria looked over her shoulder at where the Twins watched her from the doorway of the base; sending a small wave, the Twins smiling back. Maria then turned back to Jade, taking her hand; Jade squeezing lightly when she did.

"I don't need her anymore."

The two friends on Earth exchanged a smile while the two friends in space did the same.

"I'm with my family."

 ** _Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry  
Them good ole boys were drinking whiskey 'n rye  
And singin' this'll be the day that I die_**


End file.
